The Social Democrat parliamentary floor leader Peter...

The Social Democrat parliamentary floor leader Peter Struck and the parliamentary leaders of the Greens coalition partners, Kerstin Mueller and Rezzo Schlauch, called on Texas Governor George W. Bush to stop the execution by lethal injection of a mentally retarded man, scheduled for November 16. Johnny Paul Penry, 44, was sentenced to die for the 1979 rape and murder of Pamela Carpenter, 22. The German deputies said Penry's intelligence level was lower than a six-year-old's and that he did not understand the confession of guilt that he signed. "We think that in the 21st century the death penalty is not a proper means of punishment," the deputies wrote. "Especially, the execution of a mentally retarded person is a practice banned under international human rights standards. We respectfully urge you to stop this execution."